Saturday, January 30, 2016

Have you joined the BOTTLE TREE craze? . .It's not too early to be thinking about SPRING PLANTING and GARDEN DECOR. . .It might be cold and snowy now but soon we'll have warm weather and be itching to get outdoors. . .A bottle tree is one choice I plan to add to OUR yard. . .

John and I spent several days this week at the early 20th centuryHOPSONPLANTATION in Mississippi. . .We 'lived' in a SHARECROPPER'S HOUSE for three days. . .Nothing frilly or fancy. . .but 'MAKE-DO' and COMFORTABLE. . .It was warm enough that we often sat on our porch and looked out over the entire plantation. . .Right smack dab in our line of view was this lovely BOTTLE TREE. . .reminding me of my intention each year to add one to our farmstead . . .Never seems to happen. . .but I have hope for this year. . .It's a long established SOUTHERN TRADITION. . .and one I would like to continue. . .

Photo by Eudora Welty, 1930s

The LEGEND goes that empty GLASS BOTTLES were placed outside the home, close to the entryway, to capture spirits (usually evil ones) that roam the night. . .These NIGHT SPIRITS are lured into the bottles and trapped until the early morning SUNLIGHT destroys them. . .It's a legend that was deeply rooted in the beliefs of the African American slaves who worked on the plantations. . .but one that many workers adopted. . .Often the first thing SHARECROPPERS did upon arrival to their shack was to scavenge the area for DEAD TREES or large LIMBS to securely 'plant' close to the door. . .Garbage piles were rummaged for COLORED BOTTLES, the BLUE ones being considered the best. . .According to Folk Lore, BLUE is the most powerful of any color. . .Since that time, BOTTLE TREES have come to be a symbol of the RURAL SOUTH. . .Thanks to Pinterest and the internet, the interest has spread literally around the world. . .

I like this DELTA TRADITION not only for it's deep-seated history. . .but because they are FUN, ECONOMICAL and colorful works of FOLK ART. . .

Bottles to trap those IMPISH SPIRITS aren't limited to trees. . .They can be placed around the doorway in a number of ways. . .

I have a board on PINTEREST with a few more ideas. . .Some of them are quite unique. . .

This rack is attached close to a door. . .Actually, there were bottles on either side of the entry.

Doesn't look as if a 'haint' has a chance to enter this dwelling.

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After spending several days in our little SHARECROPPER'S HOUSE, John and I came to the conclusion that whether the bottle trees are for one's ENJOYMENT. . .or to ward off those IMPISH LITTLE CREATURES. . .the legend must be TRUE. . .We never saw a single NIGHT SPIRIT the entire time we spent at Hopson. . .although. . .I did have a visit from a GHOST CAT early one morning. . .but that's a story for another time. . .(a wink and a grin)

Thursday, January 28, 2016

I was putting the finishing touches on a post today when I noticed I had lost almost 100 followers on Google Friends Connect in less than 36 hours. . .Was is something I said? . .Or didn't say?. . .Or was Google changing everything again?

I decided to get to the bottom of it. . .when I found that other bloggers were experiencing the same thing. . .huge drops in numbers. . .The answer is simple. . .Google has changed the rules. . .They are removing many of the Friends Connect Followers. . .

". . .starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post) that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow. Thank you. The Blogger Support Team

What this means is. . .If you do have a Google Account, nothing has changed. If you don't have a Google account, you'll have to sign up for one. Then re-follow The Country Farm Home and Our Old Country Store. . .(What a hassle, huh?)

Although they didn't indicate other options, I have found a few. . .If you do not want a Google Account, you can "Follow By Email". . .or Bloglovin'. . .or any of the other options you'll find on the sidebar.

I do hope that you will continue to follow The Country Farm Home and Our Old Country Store with one of these options. . .I wouldn't want you to miss a single 'Plain and Simple Farmhouse Living' post . . .It is very sad that this will affect so many followers, as well as the Google bloggers who work so hard to get their posts to you. . .but then change is a fact of cyber life. . .isn't it? . . .Not sure if that's a good thing. . .or a bad one. . .